Filmmaking Update!

November 2024

It’s a weird time, so, er, here’s a picture of my cat? Yeah. I guess I’ll jump right in. A little housekeeping at the top:

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On to the filmmaking updates!

Everything’s Fine!

I recently did a small re-write on the script for Everything’s Fine! in an effort to get the budget down a bit. It’s now a tight 90 pages with fewer characters and locations, but without sacrificing anything I love about the story and characters. So it’s in a good place! And, we’ve almost raised enough money to hire a casting director!

Which seems like a good opportunity to remind you that donations to the project are tax deductible and GREATLY appreciated. You can donate here. Every little bit helps! You can also make in-kind donations instead of cash, so, for example, if you live on a big farm in Virginia (or a near-ish state) with lots of farm-type buildings and various fields and/or wooded areas (very specific, yes we are looking for something similar), and are up for having a friendly neighborhood film crew there for a few days, you can donate the location and receive a deduction on what would be the location fee. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have about the project!

Best Friends Forever

A couple months ago, I reported that Best Friends Forever, the script I co-wrote with Liz Manashil, was a second rounder at the Austin Film Festival (AFF) Script Competition. They just sent us some of the reader feedback, and oh my gosh, it was so nice! Thank you, anonymous AFF reader! You made Liz and I feel all warm and fuzzy! And now, to absolutely toot our own horn, a few highlights:

“…a captivating script whose spine-chilling horror and witty dialogue allow the story to stand out amongst others within the genre.”

“The dialogue is raunchy, hysterical..and perfectly mimics the playful teasing that occurs amongst friends…The complex spiderweb of individual relationships between each of the women adds a nice layer of texture and tension to the story.”

Liz and I believe in this script, but it’s always nice when you get a little external validation :D Anyway.

You can follow along with the development of Best Friends Forever into an actual feature film over on Liz’s Patreon (as little as $1/month). She’s smack dab in the middle of the casting process, so hop aboard!

…And Then She Laughed

Editor Alrik and I had a very fun and productive meeting where we made some creative choices that I think will up the creepy/spooky factor. We’re also getting into the sound design, which will add another layer of creepy/spooky. It’s really starting to come together!

That’s it for this month. My recent new watches include Strange Darling and The Bikeriders, so if you have thoughts on either of those films, I’d love to hear them! As always, you can check out my first feature, Hunter’s Weekend, here.

Until next time!